Trooper who murdered man in 1993 released from prison

A former North Carolina Highway Patrol officer convicted in 1998 of murder was paroled earlier this month after serving a little less than 26 years in prison.

In 1993, Maurice Parker killed garage owner Vonnie Hall, for whom he sometimes worked, and was arrested for that crime in 1996. During his trial, prosecutors said Parker was involved in stealing car titles and other records from Hall's Motor Company then selling the cars, and that the motive for Hall's murder was greed.

They argued for the death penalty, but a deadlocked jury was not able to decide on that sentence, and Parker got life in prison.

Under North Carolina law, even a life sentence allowed for the possibility of parole for crimes committed before Oct. 1, 1994, thus Parker was able to gain his release on April 8, 2024.